Check out El Centro El Cajon or Alpine Ca Motels

If you are coming via Interstate 8 westbound you may want to sleep in El Centro Ca and then take off early the following day towards Noble which is about 1.5 hours from El Centro. There are numerous options for you to check online. If you decide to get a bit closer there is Alpine Ca which is about 20 miles PAST the Noble Canyon area so you would have to drive BACK on I-8. Alpine may not be cheap but very local. If these dont pan out for you then you can sleep in El Cajon which is about 35 miles PAST the Noble canyon area. Its best to check online for rates and book in advance. Happy riding.

After Noble, IF you don't feel like doing it a second time, you should ride the "Grand Loop" in Cuyamaca State Park. It's just west of Noble, adjacent to Noble actually. It'll give you a mellower cross-country ride which you may like after Noble. But my first suggestion would be to do the Big Laguna trail and then Noble a second time.

As for lodging, good suggestions by Intensworks above. There's also a cheap little motel in the tiny town of Boulevard, which is maybe 20 miles east of Noble, off I-8. Can't recall the name of the dump, but I think it may be the only motel in town.

I stayed at the Laguna Mt Lodge once. http://www.lagunamountain.com/ It was great! You can ride from your cabin and hit BLT right down the road, then connect to Noble, Indian Creek, whatever. Nice folks, little general store right there, BBQ & beers back at the cabin, no long drive before your ride (or after, whichever you prefer).

Yes, there is a motel off of I-8 in Boulevard - can't remember what it's called, but it's right off the freeway at the Boulevard Exit. Pine Valley would be a great place to stay.

If you're coming in one car only, you're going to have a problem if you only want to ride Noble on the downhill part to Pine Valley. It's darned near impossible to get a cab in Pine Valley to get back up to your car. If you're lucky, you can hitch a ride with someone going back up to get your car - otherwise, prepare yourself for a climb. Many people shuttle up to the trailhead.

Another good ride is Hollenbeck Canyon near Jamul - it would take you a bit over an hour to get there from Pine Valley, but the Cuyamaca area is a great place to ride so no real need to leave it if you're only here for a couple of days. Whatever you do, don't stay in Julian - those Bed and Breakfast places are expensive.

Just in case you haven't been to this site, go to Mountainbikebill.com - San Diego, East County section.

Have a blast out here - Noble is one of my favorite rides!

Originally Posted by MTP

As for lodging, good suggestions by Intensworks above. There's also a cheap little motel in the tiny town of Boulevard, which is maybe 20 miles east of Noble, off I-8. Can't recall the name of the dump, but I think it may be the only motel in town.

thanks for all the replies!
looks like we'll be staying at the pine valley inn and spend a friday and saturday hitting noble and the surrounding trails.

any other suggestions for trail routing? we were planning on having to climb and would like to put together a couple of loops in the 10-20 mi range. i'm more comfy on the tech stuff, he's a better climber - 6" & 5" bikes respectively.

Hotels are for wimps; why not camp right alongside of Big Laguna Trail [BLT] which is easy access to Noble Canyon from the top. Way cheaper and IMO a much better experience than a hotel. Here's a link to the campgrounds for you to check out.